BLOGGING – THE BURN BOOK: TYPE OF PEOPLE THAT I MEET ON THIS INDUSTRY

Hey guys, welcome back to my blog and welcome to the new edition that I will add on my blog

THE BURN BOOK

For those of you who really curious about what’s really happening in blogging and beauty industry.

Sour… Bitter… Sweet… Salty

I have been blogging for quite sometimes and of course, I get all the experience. Let’s break it into 3 section:

Brands/Business

Blogger

That ‘People’s’

THE BRANDS

This section, I will be talking about the person behind their social media first, which is the social media manager themselves or the one who holds the phone and got the brand Instagram account, which absolutely is not the founder AT ALL. This person somehow either fall on PR people or Digital media people, but both of this department actually don’t really admit that they need to hire social media manager.

The pay is low which only $1800 is the max pay or the company only want to pay hourly, since they do not necessarily need this person to keep posting.

What did they do? Not much!

Creating content by stealing reposting other picture, some with tag or mention and some doesn’t give a f**k to mention the creator of the content.

Engaging by replying comment or DM

That’s it! if you are the brands, how much you willing to pay them? some of them are only senior high school graduated and work as a part-timer.

UNLESS

This brand really did want to invest in hiring a social media manager that also do graphic and content creation, but the position will NOT be Social Media Manager but…

Digital Marketing Executive cum Social Media manager

This person will create content and publish on the brand website. They manage the web layout, taking photography and even editorial. Contribute to the e-magazine, managing influencer, and all other stuff that involving marketing campaign.

This is why you meet brands that succeed in the industry and others who doesn’t. Took an example of Juvia’s Place, the social media manager are stealing Temptalia content that later the founder have to apologize. Well… I have no ideas if the person behind their social media is the part-timer that I talked above or the full-fledged marketing expert.

I have met 2 brands that are really as bad as it is…

The PR people are good but the person that manages the social media is just bad. Let’s say brand B and Brand C.

I have done a partnership with brand B and earn a commission based purchase. The PR people was so good with me till the time when I posted on Instagram and their social media manager said to me “We (brand C) has no knowledge that you are part of our brand’s seller”

I was like “Huh! dafuq” is this person okay?

Then I asked the PR people to explain to the social media manager about what going on with me and the brands. You see the point, nobody in the office is thinking that this particular position need to exist or the company needs to hire one particular person for full-time with a salary of $2000.00 and above + the social media manager will be the last or never will be the person to know what’s going on in the department, nobody told them. All they do just engage and following, like what we all do as a basic person who uses social media.

With the brand C, when they are inviting me to the event. This is not happening with me but.. let’s continue with the story.. it happened when all the local influencers in Singapore are attending to their event. Wel.. let’s say that as someone who has 10 years experience in the marketing industry that this particular product of them will not be going to be high in selling in Singapore. I guess nobody told the brands about the market, nobody goes to Singapore and overviewing the market, then surely you need a team to do it and reporting back to the office, whether or not they need to persuade or stand still. Knowing your war zone is necessary and business is war zone that doesn’t involve the weapon.

Brands always can decide what they want to sell or not.

If there is less demand, likely they won’t sell the product. So, local influencers are attending, they get a gift of this particular product and then back at home. The product launch run smoothly, yet… the sell…. not much. This brand not so high demand. People don’t know what the product to purchase from this brands. Brands need to have one big power product. For example, Anastasia Beverly Hills brow product is well- known. Lot’s of people are willing to buy the brow product and then suddenly their palette is booming, why is that can even happen?

The brand C unfollow every local influencer that the social media manager follow using this brand C account right after the launch party and unfollow after 6 months without high sell, why brand C can’t have a high selling point like ABH have for their palette?

You know why right?

The product launch is a failure or it is marketing failure? Some of the influencers are giving away the product.

This product is highlighter that comes in liquid. They have no ideas how to use it. The brand doesn’t teach the audience how to use it or if I may say how to flaunt it. Wasting a lot of money to give all local influencers the product is not going to make ROI happened.

This is makeup, not apparel. Apparel everyone will know to wear it, but makeup.. you gotta teach people on how to use it. Let’s see another side point: if the brand C engage with the 1-2 local influencer and asked them to promote by telling them to tell the audience the right many ways of using the products. The result may be different.

Singapore is the largest shopping place in SE Asia, people come all over the world. Female will buy makeup. You are not only targeting Singaporean but all the people who will be interested in the product. How will they be interested if they have no ideas on how to use it? if you are not going to tell.

THE BRAND ITSELF ARE ALSO WORST

Brands nowadays love to steal ‘requesting’ content by providing hashtag of #YESBRANDX, they are taking all of your content without mentioning you or even acknowledge that you are the person behind this creative content that they will use for commercial purpose an s such as advertisement. They will put your content on their website but never mention that it’s from you. There is 1 particular brand that asked me to do so, I will reveal it next time, which brands and it will be going to be so juicy. I will also talk about other popular brands that you may support right now about their cocky decision of not making one particular skincare product that most of dry skin people like me, going to need it.

The BLOGGER

Whose says that Blogger is the best people in this industry? you won’t meet many bloggers that will support you but if you get, do treasure them. Bloggers are paid based on their ‘influence’, that’s what the new bloggers believe.

Not many new bloggers know that brands picked them based on their vibes, mood board and even personality, therefore lot’s of them resolve in stealing each other’s ideas and exposure exposure exposure. For the veteran blogger, since they already have won their battleground, they are NOT that lusting over PR list Normally, this blogger is those who have a full-time work in the current industry. For beauty industry, I meet the blogger who is actually a skin doctor, those who owned pharmacy or a facialist or someone who is not talking the same things.

NEW bloggers who just want to do ‘blog’ to get sponsorship or collaboration without giving a f**k about content creation – you will meet lots of them, they like to follow and unfollow people around. Some of them even have the nasty attitude. I joined a social media girls facebook group and there is one particular member that really lust over likes and comment. She wants all of us to comment but she never did the same, when the rules are actually we all going to comment on each other post and yes, I will say that Instagram is all about a comment and follow, you will get the return.

But, not many people want to do the same, with the thought of making ownself popular.

This 3 types of people, I often meet during my early years of blogging, I really felt the nasty side of this industry, however within the time I become selective of what kind of blogger/influencer and brands that I am willing to build a relationship with.

I am a woman, of course having to work in this industry, meaning I will get to see lot’s of people and I am someone who loves to build a relationship so, if I were to work for them, I can’t work in comfort. It’s really important to work with people that you feel comfortable with so, you can tell your creative ideas to them because you feel the connection.

‘THAT’ PEOPLE’s

This section will be about influencer or those who have a blog but seldom update or blogger who also is an influencer. This kind of people are so picky in telling information about what kind of app that they used to edit. They are so secretive with the information that I feel as creative digital expert.

“It just an app and the creator want everyone to install it. That’s the reason they do market the product to let people know and they could earn from subscription of the app”

Do them a favor by telling everyone who asked about this app. You get nothing to lose and you also help the creator to earn a bit of money that she or he may use for living and feed their family.

“Why be so picky?”

“What the need to be so secretive about it?”

This happened when I asked recent new travel blogger about the app that she use, it’s interesting and since I need to follow up what happened on digital and tech world, that’s why I asked.

She told me that “it’s photoshop app” and I was like “huh? please don’t bluff someone like me, there is nowhere that photoshop can do video thingy. It’s photoshop, it’s for photo NOT moving object but later I found out from other bloggers who willing to tell me since she knows what work I been doing for this past 10 years.

For those of you who might be wondering what I have done with my family. I have been doing traditional marketing for 8 years and 4 years trying to learn digital marketing. This blog allowed me to go into deeper space of the digital world. Thanks to you all for reading it. I didn’t in the very first place trying to earn anything from it but as my senior told me, why not put your contact so those brands can contact you and you can build your own portfolio to show them, what you work really is (which not everything is blogging)

Ads placement location, the way the video advertising and everything. I do it! I love watching advertising. I love watching influencer to do their Ads. Love to find out what kind of influencer that suitable for my client as well.

Am I influencer? certainly, I don’t try to be one. I can’t be one since I been working in this field for more than 10 years and provide the best solution for brands to market their product. More to it on coming up next articles.

That’s all for this section. I pretty sure myself love to reveal a nasty side of this industry and making the burn book article.

See you in the next session of THE BURN BOOK.

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Felicia

Felicia is a writer and journalist. She mostly writes for MEDIUM publisher. She is an avid writer for blogging and beauty industry. She works as a Digital Advertisement Provider and Editor for various business/brands. She also helps the blogger to establish their own personal branding and business. She received the award for Top 50 Indonesian Beauty Blogger on March 2018.
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Skin Condition: Dry, Dehydrated, Sensitive, prone to acne and irritation.
Beauty Products Essential: Facial Essence, Sheet mask, Occlusive, Hydrating cream and mask
Quote: “I can’t ever go on a day without my nail polish, lipstick, eyeshadow and a good highlighter”